This invention relates to a roadway, hardstand, floor or fence/wall (referred to herein as a panel construction), especially but not exclusively such a panel construction built as a temporary structure at e.g. indoor and outdoor events such as sporting events; concerts; agricultural shows; equestrian events; and festivals.
There is a long recognised need for e.g. fences and pedestrian and vehicular roadways, at such events, that may be delivered from a remote location; rapidly assembled and laid; and easily removed when no longer required.
Traditionally such panel constructions have been formed by linking together a series of panels to define a roadway or fence. Known panels comprise a series of timber boards side by side and banded with pairs of parallel, metal straps to define each panel. The metal straps are pinned or bolted to the boards. They may be linked together to connect series of the panels together.
The known panels are portable and are generally robust, but they suffer numerous disadvantages. Probably the most serious is that they are heavy in order to provide robustness. The panels are prone to breakages. Therefore they are awkward and occasionally dangerous to handle and lay. Also their weight limits the number of them that may be transported on a lorry, thereby increasing the transportation costs associated with the known designs.
A further disadvantage of the banded timber panels is that they are awkward to repair, since the metal banding usually must be unpinned and removed before any of the boards can be replaced.
Yet a further problem is that if the banding becomes damaged it can puncture vehicle tires or injure pedestrian users.
An alternative to the banded timber panels is known from GB-A-2 199 864, in which a series of narrow (approximately 460 mm (18xe2x80x3) wide), discrete, rigid panels is secured together side by side by pairs of rigid, elongate, threaded bolts received in aligned, through-going bores in the panels. Spigots extending from each panel are received in recesses in the adjacent panel. Tightening of the bolts and the use of the spigots jointly contribute to the rigidity of the lengths of roadway shown in GB-A-2 199 864.
The arrangement of GB-A-2 199 864 also suffers some disadvantages, as follows:
(i) the need to tighten the bolts to rigidify lengths of the panels is time consuming during assembly of the panels;
(ii) the rigidity of lengths of roadway made in accordance with GB-A-2 199 864 means that the roadway cannot easily conform to undulations on the ground on which it is laid. When the panels of GB-A-2 199 864 are used in an upright orientation, as fence panels, a similar problem arises;
(iii) the elongate bolts arc each made up from a series of sub-lengths that must be screwed together on site during assembly of the roadway. This is time consuming to achieve;
(iv) the requirement for rigidity of a roadway made from the panels of GB-A-2 199 864 means that the panels must be inherently heavy. Therefore the length of each panel is limited in order to permit its handling. Consequently it is time consuming to assemble such a large number of panels into a long roadway. One advantage of a first aspect of the invention is that it permits a panel construction to be flexible when assembled. This in turn allows the ground or other surface supporting the panel construction to provide a significant part of its load bearing capability.
The use of a rigid compression member primarily to prevent separation of the panels from one another (and not primarily to rigidify a series of the panels) assists in providing flexibility. It also permits the compressing member to be a predetermined length, corresponding to a known plurality of the panels lying side by side, thereby eliminating the need individually to assemble the rods of GB-A-2 199 864.
Preferably the panel construction includes at least one rigid or flexible compression strip. In preferred embodiments the strip is in the for construction. According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a panel construction that omits the rigid compression rod defined hereinabove.
In all embodiments an advantage of the projections is that they can be shaped during manufacture of the panels to provide a liquid dispelling seal when the panels are assembled together. This can assist in providing buoyancy which in turn assists the apparatus of the invention to support loads, especially (but not exclusively) on wet or muddy ground.
The use of a rigid reinforcing rod and (optionally or alternatively) a rigid or flexible reinforcing strip, primarily to prevent separation of the panels from one another, (and not primarily to rigidify a series of panels) assists in providing flexibility. The rigid reinforcing rod and the rigid or flexible reinforcing strip may each be a predetermined length, corresponding to a known plurality of panels lying side by side, thereby eliminating the need individually to assemble the rods of GB-A-2 199 864.
An advantage of this arrangement is that it provides a construction that exhibits an improved resistance to buckling/concertinaing and twisting of the panels when formed as e.g. single or multiple tracks when subject to heavyweight vehicles and vehicles with twin axles and differential drive trains and braking.
Various optional, advantageous features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.